I'm hoping to compile a list of 80s and 90s mountain bike frames that would make ideal touring conversions.

Lots of soon-to-be tourers are looking for cheap mountain bike frames to turn into touring bikes. From everything I have learned, mountain bikes seem to be a great alternative to a ~$1000 + touring specific bike. While lots of people have asked this question on different forums, I haven't been able to find a consolidated list of good candidate frames.

For those of us scouring craigslist and ebay for a good find, it would be very helpful to have a list to go to so we would know what to look for.

Some of the specs that seem to be important include:

- 26 " wheels (for those touring outside of the first world) - preferably 36 spoke wheels and double walled
- long chainstays (17.25" or longer) - necessary for those with big feet and rear panniers. Some say you can get away with shorter chainstays with smaller rear panniers and some other fancy tricks)
- long top tubes (not necessary, depends on your body and bike gemometry)
- Cantilever or v-brakes (preferably not U-brakes, hard to replace in third world - excludes '88 and '89 specialized ; many in this thread have said their U-brakes work just fine -make your own choice)
- Front and back braze ons (the more the merrier)
- steel (or thick aluminum)
- rigid front and back
- Nice components are obviously a plus (well known names: specialized, kona, Trek, Marin, etc.)

Please list mountain bike with models and years that you believe make a good touring candidates either from personal experience or from what you know about the specs. It's difficult to find chainstay lengths for lots of these older models.

I really don't know if mine qualifies or not, but planning on fixing it up soon. A late 80's, I think, GT Avalanche. It's white with black splotches all over it. Haven't measured everything, but the chainstays are over 17. At least I think they are. It does have a U brake on the rear. Why is that a problem?
So, should it be on the list or not? Any info on the bike itself would be much appreciated.

Surly Troll if you want to stick with 26'' wheels, or Ogre if don't mind 700c

Amazing bike for sure. I'm hoping for frames that can be picked up on ebay or craigslist for the $50-$250 range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJH

I really don't know if mine qualifies or not, but planning on fixing it up soon. A late 80's, I think, GT Avalanche. It's white with black splotches all over it. Haven't measured everything, but the chainstays are over 17. At least I think they are. It does have a U brake on the rear. Why is that a problem?
So, should it be on the list or not? Any info on the bike itself would be much appreciated.

If you don't mind take some measurements and post them.

The rear U-brake isn't really a 'problem' it's just not ideal (only from what I've read, not experienced) for touring for several reasons. 1.) U-brakes are hard to find at bike shops in the US and even more difficult in the third world making replacing them difficult. You need to bring an extra one with you and if that one goes down, you're out of luck. (obviously not likely, but you want to have the ability to replace all parts) 2.) Due to the U-brake geometry as the pads start to wear, they move closer and closer to the tire and must be repositioned or replaced or they will bite into the tire and ruin it. (easily alleviated with proper maintenance). 3.) Due to their placement they get filled with mud in messy riding situations and drastically lose stopping power.

Once again, this is not from personal experience, only from what I have read.

__________________When I ride my bike I feel free and happy and strong. I'm liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent, my bike is my horse, my fighter jet, my island, my friend. Together we will conquer that hill and thereafter the world.

__________________When I ride my bike I feel free and happy and strong. I'm liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent, my bike is my horse, my fighter jet, my island, my friend. Together we will conquer that hill and thereafter the world.

steltz02, Your third item, a long top tube, isn't always what's desired for a drop bar conversion. Generally any of the late '80s and much through the '90s rigid mountain bikes make excellent candidates for a touring conversion...I don't think listing all of the manufacturers and the different models would be an easy task to complete so good luck. After that period there are many hybrids that could be candidates as a tourer.

The rear U-brake isn't really a 'problem' it's just not ideal (only from what I've read, not experienced) for touring for several reasons. 1.) U-brakes are hard to find at bike shops in the US and even more difficult in the third world making replacing them difficult. You need to bring an extra one with you and if that one goes down, you're out of luck. (obviously not likely, but you want to have the ability to replace all parts) 2.) Due to the U-brake geometry as the pads start to wear, they move closer and closer to the tire and must be repositioned or replaced or they will bite into the tire and ruin it. (easily alleviated with proper maintenance). 3.) Due to their placement they get filled with mud in messy riding situations and drastically lose stopping power.

Once again, this is not from personal experience, only from what I have read.

I've had a couple of bikes with chainstay U-brakes and a couple with seatstay U-brakes. As noted above the chainstay ones are a big problem in the mud.

However, I've not found availability in the US to be a problem. Any shop that caters to BMXers to any extent will likely have a brake that would fit (not all U-brakes will work under-chainstay).

How did that work. Vintage MTBs can usually be picked up for $50 here. Put $50 worth of tires on and Bam!

$100 niner probably stolen or not very nice

My niner is not stolen or even vintage. It's all-new for about $800.00. Frameset: $250, Crankset: $70, Wheelset: $120...

....The brifters were about $110... The spirit is the same: Fully rigid and larger tires. By the time you bring a vintage bike road-worthy for a longer tour, the cost rises to this level IMO.

__________________When I ride my bike I feel free and happy and strong. I'm liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent, my bike is my horse, my fighter jet, my island, my friend. Together we will conquer that hill and thereafter the world.

Ok. Top tube on the Avalanche is 22-23". Not exactly sure where to measure. The chainstays are 16.5". I guess that could be too short for me & panniers. I do wear a size 12 shoe. I still think I'm going to do a drop bar conversion. Pretty sure I have the parts I need & I think it'll be a fun bike.

I really don't know if mine qualifies or not, but planning on fixing it up soon. A late 80's, I think, GT Avalanche. It's white with black splotches all over it. Haven't measured everything, but the chainstays are over 17. At least I think they are. It does have a U brake on the rear. Why is that a problem?
So, should it be on the list or not? Any info on the bike itself would be much appreciated.

My touring bike is an 88 or 89 GT Timberline. It originally came with the U-brake underneath. Together with a friend, in his shop, I sliced off the mounts for it and welded on canti posts in the usual place. Since then I've heard some folks say those U-brakes are quite powerful if set up right. If you aren't using it for mountain biking and can get it set up right you should just keep the u-brake. I can see why they went away from the design for mountain biking, you are likely to smack it on logs and rocks as you go over them.

I love my GT Timberline for touring. It's got quite long chainstays and is very stable loaded.

The U-brake at bottom bracket was done in 1988 and I think 1987. By 1989, the move was to a higher placement or to cantilever brakes.

A lot of the bikes from the early 1990s and before are great candidates for touring as they had incredibly durable frames. Get one into good running condition and it will take you far.

There is one potential problem with the older mountain bikes. Some of the sizes which were standard at the time they were built are no longer common. I once needed a piece for the headset of a bike of that vintage, but most bike shops in my area did not have anything which would fit. Later, when I needed to replace an aging bottom bracket unit, I had to special order the part as the shops did not carry the size I needed. The good news is that these things do not tend to fail on tour, so if the bike is maintained before you leave, it should not cause any grief.

i got a schwinn high plains (previous posts i incorrectly called it a sierra, but it's been in a
box in the attic for six years ) NOS on ebay. built it up with all XT components, except
for the old-fangled suntour thumb shifters. wheels custom built with phil hubs and sun
rhynolites.

not sure of the year (late 80's?). frame size would be 20/21" with 23-1/2" top tube , and
16-3/4" chain stays. they're long enough for my size 12's and panniers.

as long as the frame is solid and fits well, i'd rather put my money into the components.

Last edited by saddlesores; 12-23-12 at 11:40 PM.
Reason: i have a lovely bunch of coconuts

1985 Peugeot Canyon Express. 18.5" chainstays, 3 water bottles, dual eyelets front and rear, even a full size pump peg behind the seat tube. I bought my first for 40 bix out of a thrift store, then looked for a few years (6) before I found my 2nd, which I paid 200 for from a local online listing service. Pics are in order:

Ishiwata MTB double butted 4130 Cro-Mo frame, and they both ride like an absolute dream!